Guide
by Kage kioku aji tenshi
Summary: Summary: Among Mundanes there are many people that have the potential to become something more than they are, but first they must become something else. Written for Silverbluerose, I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Among Mundanes there are many people that have the potential to become something more than they are, but first they must become something else.

Written for Silverbluerose. I hope you like it.

* * *

Simon hated Jace Wayland. This was all his fault, Simon would never orgive him, no matter how much Clary asked him to.

Simon sighed and leaned back against the cold, hard metal bars of the cage he'd been shoved into when a Circle member had dragged him and Jace into Valentine's headquarters. Jace had been shoved into a similar cage a little bit away .

Simon was afraid, afraid of what Valentine was planning to do with him and Jace seemed unconcerned and Simon, Simon hated him for that.

He'd fallen asleep, how could he have slept? Simon's eyes darted around the room, looking for a way out, not the missing Jace, he told himself.

It felt like hours before Jace was thrown back into his cage and Simon felt his undead heart stop as he watched Jace bleed sluggishly from his wounds.

After the Circle member left Jace laid down and stretched out his blood soaked arm out through the space between the bars of his cage, reaching for Simon, "No sense in wasting it, they probably aren't planning on feeding you."

Simon shifted uncomfortably but nodded, mirroring Jace on the floor of his own cage and reaching out to swipe his fingers down Jace's arm to collect what blood he could and brought his hand to his mouth. By the time Simon finished Jace was blinking slowly, tiredly.

"I'm going to sleep for a bit." Jace whispered, closing his eyes.

"Okay, I'll stay up." Simon promised.

* * *

Simon lost track of time, Valentine would take Jace and sometimes one of the other Downworlders in Cages down here with them. The Circle members would bring Jace back hours, or it seemed like hours, later, bloody, and sad, and Jace would reach out for Simon to feed him, the fingers of his outstretched hand clutching weakly at Simon's wrist as Simon dragged the fingers of his opposite hand through Jace's blood and into his mouth to suck the blood from them. Sometimes, most times Simon would end up talking while he did this, he'd talk about growing up with Clary, about his band, even singing Jace a few lines from his songs, or the silly promise he'd made with Clary about marrying her if they were still single at thirty so Clary could have her babies without her mother being disappointed in her, and how Simon wasn't sure he could still do that for Clary now that he was a Vampire.

And on some days Jace would speak, slowly, soft and slurred from blood loss and pain. Jace would talk about Izzy and Alec, and when he was more out of it than coherent Jace would talk about Simon.

He'd talk about how Simon was so annoying, how he hated his stupid crooked grin because it made his heart beat falter in his chest, how his laugh made him smile, how jealous Jace had been when Simon had shown interest in Clary and Maia so Jace had taken Clary out of the running when she had asked him out which had the double bonus of hanging out with Simon some more even if Jace had to pretend to dislike it.

Simon had decided not to hold Jace to his blood loss induced babbling and just listened, he listened and wished he was brave enough to try, like Magnus and Alec were, but he couldn't, he needed his Clan, Jace needed the acceptance of the Clave and the support of the Nephilim. They could never but Simon couldn't put voice to that when Jace had admitted in slurred and slow speech that the only thing that kept him from giving up and clinging to life was a promise Jace made to himself one time, long after Simon had stopped eating, that when they were free Jace was going to kiss Simon like Alec had kissed Magnus at his wedding.

Jace landed heavily in his cage, shoulder hitting the bars and bruising.

"Better rest up, traitor, Valentine has something special planned for tomorrow." The Circle member laughed, kicking at Simon's cage as he left.

Jace felt better than he had for a long while, they'd drawn healing Runes on his skin again and again until his body was mostly healed.

"You okay?" Simon asked softly as he pressed against the bars of his cage nearest to Jace.

Jace nodded and tried to smile reassuringly at the Vampire.

Simon looked sick, his skin was pale, even for a Vampire and it clung to his bones, he looked like someone who was starving, and Jace had to remind himself mentally that Simon was starving, he couldn't be Runed with a nutritious Rune and be okay, and while Jace had been feeding the Vampire Jace also knew that what little blood Simon scrapped from his skin was no where near the amount the Vampire should be eating, it wasn't enough.

"Do you think they'll find us?" Simon asked, he'd asked every time Jace was coherent enough to answer and Jace's answer was always the same, even if he no longer believed they'd be alive when the other arrived to rescue them.

"Yeah, they'll find us." Jace assured Simon with what they both knew to be a lie.

* * *

Valentine strutted into the basement they were being held in.

"Morning all!" He said cheerfully, generally happy to see the Downworlders suffering.

Jace growled wordlessly, deep in his throat as he was pulled from his cage and felt terror fill him as Simon was as well, he couldn't do what he did to the other Downworlders, not to Simon.

"We're going to see how Nephilim react to being injected with Vampire blood, perhaps nothing wil happen, I mean, most of the blood in his veins must be your by now, you've been feeding it." Valentine took on a chastising tone at the last bit.

Simon couldn't help it, he knew Jace could hold up, he had every faith in Jace's ability to withstand Valentine's torture, but Simon couldn't, Simon couldn't bare to watch Jace scream and thrash and potentially break.

"Rune me." Simon's recognized his own voice and ignored Jace's protests.

Valentine grinned, sickly sweet, "Go on, Johnathan, Rune the Vampire."

Jace was forced forward and he set his hand sweetly on Simon's cheek with a devastated and terrified look in his eyes.

"It's okay, Jace, please don't let one of them do it, I want it to be you." Simon whispered as he closed his eyes and pressed a soft kiss to Jace's palm before leaning in to the hand.

Jace pulled Simon into his chest, vaguely aware of Valentine stopping his people from pulling them apart. Jace wrapped his arms around Simon's bare shoulders, his shirt lost ages ago, torn into strips for Jace to attempt at bandaging his injuries, and then Jace took the Stele in his hand and drew a Rune, tightening his grip on Simon as the Vampire opened his mouth to let a blood curdling scream and began to thrash in Jace's arms, and Jace, Jace forgot how to breath as his legs gave out and Simon screamed and screamed until his voice faded into nothing and Jace couldn't stop crying.

Jace thought it couldn't get worse and then Valentine and his people pulled Simon away from him.

* * *

Simon hadn't stopped shaking since Jace had Runed him, Valentine had returned them to their cages and all Jace could do was hold Simon's clammy and shaking hand through the bars of their cages, body cramped and uncomfortable, pressed against the bars to his cage, his arm stretched as far as he could across the distance between their cages, shoulder aching but unwilling to let go as Simon continued to spasm and gasp for unneeded breath as the Angelic power the Rune accessed coursed and burned through his unreceptive body.

And Jace cried because he knew that this was just the beginning for Simon and that there was no way that Simon was going to survive this, no downworlder ever had before. And Jace regretted never telling Simon that he loved him.

There were voices all around him, singing and shouting, whispering encouragement and advice, screaming in anger and horror. Simon didn't know what was happening, everything hurt, his body spasmed and burned painfully. It was to loud in the silence and Simon could almost feel the blood leaking from his ears, nose and eyes.

But there was a hand in his, gripping tightly like an anchor weighing him down and Simon could feel worry, anger, and sorrow. A single voice drifted out from the booming silence, clear and crisp.

"Please don't leave me, Simon."

Simon felt himself drift away from the voice against his will, 'I'm sorry, Jace.' He thought as darkness overcame him and he fell into nothing but cold and dark.

* * *

Jace screamed out when Simon just stopped, his body jolting into stillness, such a contrast to the contorting and jerking his body had been doing mere seconds before.

"SIMON!" Jace screamed and tried to stretch his body further, trying to get closer, trying and failing, "Please, please, SIMON!"

The door of the basement opened with and explosion and Jace jerked away briefly in surprise before reaching for Simon again.

"Jace!" Alec cried as he scrambled to Jace's cage, Magnus destroying the lock that kept him caged.

Alec helped Jace out of the cage as Magnus opened Simon's and carefully pulled the man from the small cage.

Jace stumbled as Alec held him up but once he was steady Jace reached out for Simon.

"Give him to me." Jace demanded.

Magnus hesitated, likely knowing how bad it would be for Simon to fall, but...

"Please?" Jace begged quietly, tears falling from his eyes again, "Please?"

Magnus and Alec shared a glance before Magnus carefully handed Simon over, Alec and the Warlock taking positions on either side of Jace as they left the basement, several fellow Shadowhunters slipping through the room to release the other downworlders, helping them limp from their prison or offering a final release from their pain.

As Jace ascended the stairs, walking up from the basement and when the sun first hit his face after exiting the house Jace fell to his knees and he sobbed as people walked around the four of them, Alec and Magnus directing several people while Jace buried his face in Simon's hair and sobbed in both relief and grief, because there was no movement in Simon and the Rune Jace had carved into his shoulder was glaringly obvious and a burning red that bleed black.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary:

* * *

Alec was worried, normally Alec could easily tell if the worry was his own or Jace's but for the last several days he had been nearly overcome with worry, terror and sadness, none of which had been his own because he had been in the midst of planning their assult against Valentine's base with Magnus and Izzy.

Now Alec could feel his stomach twisting and churning and Alec had thrown up twice in the last few hours and Jace had refused to leave Simon's side, his hand holding the Vampire's tightly while the Rune bled black, Simon had yet to start convulsions again and Magnus and Catarina had told Alec that it was likely that Simon would just fade away into a proper death anytime now and Alec, Alec didn't know how to help Jace.

* * *

Simon was drifting in the freezing darkness, there was nothing around him and Simon could feel his own existance but could see nothing beyond himself.

"Hello?" Simon called, his voice echoing out into the nothingness, "Is anyone there?"

Something bright came into sudden existence behind him and Simon spun around, wondering why he did not feel the urge to shield his eyes from the light.

"Zevedyah." A strange voice echoed into the nothingness and vanished into the darkness.

"My name is Simon." Simon said in a confused voice.

The being of light seemed to expand before contracting into a smaller form, "Once you were named as I called you, come Zevedyah."

The being seemed to offer a hand and Simon was compelled to take it in his own, frowning at the dark grey light that engulfed his hand, Simon almost wondered why he was reaching out with his left hand when he always used his right but when he wiggled his right hand he found it restricted and something squeezed his hand.

"What's going on?" Simon asked.

"A journey." The being told him.

"A jouney?" Simon asked, confused, "What kind of journey?"

"The kind that changes you." The light told him.

* * *

Simon frowned, "Why are we here?"

Simon and the being were watching the day he met Clary in pre-school. Clary was crying because one of the other children had taken the crayon she had been using and the teacher had only told her to share, little Simon had frowned and then offered his own orange crayon to the crying girl, 'It matches your hair.' Baby Simon had said and Baby Clary had giggled and nodded and used that color for her drawing instead of the red she'd been planning on using for her own hair.

They'd been best friends ever since.

"Because this is when your redemption actually began." The being told him.

"Redemption?" Simon asked, "Redemption for what?"

The being turned away and led the way through the darkness, blurred visions of old memories being passed by as they walked.

The being eventually paused and turned to another Memory.

The Simon in it was clearly older and he was sitting next to Jocelyn and hugging her.

"I don't remember this." Simon said.

"No, she took this memory from you but it is still important, Zevedyah. You caught her vanquishing a Demon and were scared but you told her that she was still your best friend's mom and a second mother to you." The being offered as they moved on.

"I don't understand why I need redemption, what did I do that needs redeeming?" Simon asked.

"It is not so much what you did, Zevedyah, but rather what you refused to do."

"What did I not do?"

"You did not speak when you should have, you did not protect when you were asked, you watched when you should have acted." The being told him, "And now you must find the right path and help others to it, this will be your task from now on, guide them to be better than they are."

"Who?" Simon asked.

"All of them." The being said and a thousand faces flashed in his vision as a thousand voices echoed in his ears and Simon began to scream.

* * *

Jace ran from the room when the scream split the air, the Clave trying to stop him but Jace would not be stopped, he nearly fell beside Simon's bed and grabbed his hand.

"Simon?" Jace asked as the scream tapered off and lifted Simon into his lap.

Simon blinked slowly, his eyelids seeming heavy as he tried to open them.

"Jace." Simon whispered reaching to grasp Jace's shirt.

"Yeah, I'm here." Jace murmured into Simon's hair.

"What's going on?" Simon slurred into Jace's chest.

"Nothing important." Jace said, ignoring the afronted gasps from the Clave members that had followed Jace's mad dash and Alec and Magnus' giggles.

"They're not very good people." Simon whispered, "I can hear people screaming and begging them to stop, that they've not broken the Accords."

Jace frowned, "Who is screaming?"

"So many people, so many children. She killed them anyway, why would she do that?" Simon asked.

"Who?" Jace asked softly, eyes falling on the shifting Clave members, several of them seem nervous.

"All of them." Simon whispered turning blank silver eyes to Jace.

Jace was startled by Simon's eyes but he nodded, "We can investigate."

"There's nothing to investigate." One of the Clave members snarled, "The Vampire's gone mad due to the Angelic power from the Rune."

Simon settled his head on Jace's chest heavily, tiredly.

"What is going on?" Magnus asked.

"So many voices." Simon murmured, "So many sad screaming children."

"Shh." Jace murmured into Simon's hair, gently pushing Simon to lay next to him, taking his hand in his and glaring at the members of the Clave.

One of Clave members pulled a blade and moved quickly, trying to kill Simon, Jace was startled and shoved to the ground and Simon jerked in the bed as the blade entered his stomach.

A light burst into the room, blinding everyone in the room.

The light dimmed nearly imperceptably but still left everyone blinking rapidly trying to see clearly.

Simon felt a half smile crawl onto his face, "Hello, Raziel."

The members of the Clave stiffened and Jace picked himself up from the floor, still holding Simon's hand as he stood by the bed.

"Zevedyah." Raziel said with a nod, "I have been sent to give you a choice."

"What kind of choice?" Simon asked.

"It has been decided that your task has already been completed, you have helped guided several of those that were lost back to the right path, they will remain so all their lives. This has been weighed and has balanced your scales." Raziel nodded regally.

"Who?" Simon asked.

"Jocelyn Fray would never have returned if you had not assured her that you would always love her as your second mother, without your insistence on remaining with Isabelle Lightwood the Lightwoods would have remained ignorant and derisive toward Vampires." The Angel paused and gazed into Jace's soul, "And Jace Wayland, named different at Birth would have fallen to Valentine Morganstern's ideals, many lives that are necessary would have been lost. Many things would have had to be rearranged."

Simon squeezed Jace's hand in his.

"You have a choice to make, you may come with me and become as we are or you can be born again." Raziel offered.

Simon took several breaths, wondering which to choose, which one would be better.

Looking at Jace Simon realized that he had only one choice really. What else could he do but stay with the man who loved him, the man that Simon may have come to love himself in the cages where Valentine had kept them.

Raziel smiled down at him and nodded, he understood and perhaps even approved.

Simon let the Angel lay his hand on his shoulders and a kiss on his forehead and then the Angel vanished, leaving everyone blinking rapidly again to clear their vision.

Simon shifted a little, vaguely noting that the wound he'd been given was healed and the Rune on his shoulder no longer burned or bled black as it had only moments before. And holding his hand was Jace as the Clave gaped in shock but Simon wasn't worried about them, because he had Jace's hand in his and Simon knew that they could make it, they could, they just had to try.

Simon smiled at Jace and used their hands to tug the man closer, making him stumble and fall over Simon's lap and then Simon was kissing Jace and it felt so right and perfect and all the voices that had been screaming and begging and crying were silenced and all that was left was the feel of Jace's lips on his, his free hand clutching his hair as the hand in his squeezed tight and the Wedded Rune Jace had carved on his shoulder glowed gold.


End file.
